Car Found from $4M Fairfield Jewelers Heist [UPDATE]

Update 1:25 p.m.:

The Fairfield Police Department has recovered the stolen BMW used in the robbery, according to a statement released by Sgt. Sue Lussier.

The vehicle was recovered on Mill Plain Road and the department was able to locate it based on information from a "concerned citizen."

"The vehicle is currently in the custody of the Fairfield Police Department and is being processed for evidence with the assistance of the Connecticut State Police Major Crime Squad," Lussier said. "This incident remains under investigation and involves the coordinated efforts of several law enforcement agencies including the United States Attorney’s office."

Update 1:11 p.m.:

WTIC-AM radio has an audio clip of the 911 call to police (scroll down on that Web page).

Original article:

In what police are characterizing as a well-orchestrated heist, a group of armed men invaded a Meriden apartment Thursday night, bound and gagged four victims, kidnapped two and brought them to a Fairfield jewelry store, where they stole more than $4 million worth of items.

The suspects, who police said were wearing ski masks and armed with firearms, are still at large. Fairfield Police said its department along with police agencies throughout the state and region are looking for a vehicle that the suspects used — a silver 2009 BMW 528i bearing Massachusetts license plate 96NV02.

The vehicle is owned by one of the victims, an employee of Lenox Jewelers who was staying at an apartment in Meriden that is owned in part by the company, according to police. Anyone who may have seen the vehicle is encouraged to call Fairfield Police at 203-254-4840.

It was 10:51 p.m. on April 11 when Fairfield Police received a 911 call from two victims at Lenox Jewelers, located at 2379 Black Rock Turnpike. They had been bound and gagged, police said, and were able to free themselves to call police.

Police were on scene within a matter of seconds, said Assistant Police Chief Chris Lyddy, and Fairfield officers as well as departments throughout the area immediately began a search for the BMW.

Meanwhile, at 10:52 p.m., Meriden Police recieved a 911 call from two victims who has been bound and gagged at an apartment in that town. They, too, were able to free themselves after the armed suspects left, police said.

Lyddy said a preliminary investigation has revealed that two of the victims left the jewelry store after closing at 8 p.m. They are managers, he said.

They traveled to their apartment in Meriden and, upon arrival, were forced into their home by at least four armed suspects wearing ski masks. The type of firearms displayed was not immediately known, police said.

Two other individuals, acquaintances of the store managers, also showed up at the apartment around that time. The suspects bound and gagged them, police said.

Fairfield Police Lt. James Perez said two of the suspects then took the managers back to the jewelry store in the BMW. They reportedly forced the managers to open the door, unarm the security system and open the safe.

The suspects stole a variety of jewelry that has been estimated at a value of between $4 million and $5 million, police said.

"It was organized," Lyddy said. "The people involved obviously knew what they were doing."

The amount stolen makes it one of the largest dollar amounts stolen in the town's history, he noted.

"This wasn't just a random opportunity," Perez added.

Editor's note: This article originally was published by Fairfield Patch.